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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26989900">Thunderstar's Vendetta</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viva_La_Vier/pseuds/AnimalHaus'>AnimalHaus (Viva_La_Vier)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Warriors - Erin Hunter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Antihero Lead, Coming of Age, F/F, Murder Mystery, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:21:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,419</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26989900</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viva_La_Vier/pseuds/AnimalHaus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Join a kittypet on her adventure from her twoleg nest to the elusive ShadowClan through her apprenticeship with the dark-natured deputy Nightheart. When members of her clan go missing, will she stand by and succumb to the terrible killer, or will she rise to solve the mystery of their deaths?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thunder | Bolt/Elodie, Thunder | Bolt/King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Thunderstar's Vendetta</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<hr/><p>     Bolt awoke to the smell of smoke.</p><p>     As usual, she'd been sleeping on the roof; she'd gone wandering outside just the way Mittens always told her not to.</p><p>     She blinked her eyes open as dark, gray tendrils spiraled from out the windows. The glass all around its top and base was completely shattered.</p><p>     <em>"No..." </em></p><p>     Her mew was distant and begging as she realized what was happening<span class="ILfuVd"><span class="hgKElc">—as she began to understand that this process was one she couldn't stop.</span></span></p><p>     She scratched at the chimney as smoke billowed out, her tiny claws helplessly grasping at something too solid for her to hold onto.</p><p>     <em>"No, no, please, no! Mom! Dad! Milo!"<br/>
</em></p><p>But, even as she pleased and her little paws began to bleed...</p><p>    ...the only home she'd ever known burned away.</p><p>
  <strong>Earlier That Day</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>    Bolt always had strange dreams when she fell asleep just before sunset.</p><p>    Like always, she found herself stepping into a pawprint much bigger than her own, fawning over the size of the larger for a moment before proceeding on.</p><p>    The prints belonged to a cat called Nightheart.</p><p>    Bolt thought his name was strange at first, but then learned he was a Warrior. Apparently, Warriors all had unusual names.</p><p>    Nightheart was big and strong: everything Bolt hoped to be when she grew older.</p><p>    She strode through the darkness, giggling as she leapt from print to print and stood in each for a fraction of a second before moving on.</p><p>    And she laughed until she careened into a large, dark foot.</p><p>   "Nightheart!" she exclaimed and looked up at the tall tom. Purring, she traced loops along his legs and batted at a few of his long whiskers.</p><p>   "Hello, little one," said Nightheart. He watched her with a fascination, almost pridefully. "What have you done today?”</p><p>   Bolt puffed her chest out and boasted, "I caught my first mouse! Thank you for teaching me how!"</p><p>   "Of course," Nightheart chuckled, "You know, there's more where that came from..." He paused, running over the whisker Bolt had pulled out of place with a sleek paw. "Have you decided whether or not you want to come find me outside your dreams? You could live with me and other cats like us." His smile grew larger. "You could be <em>free."</em></p><p>Bolt looked down at her paws. "Well..." she hesitated for a moment, "I wish I could, but I also have my mom and my dad. And my brother! I can't just leave them."</p><p>   "I see," Nightheart replied. "Well, think about it some more. We can have a lesson today if you'd like."</p><p>    A smile replaced Bolt's apprehension as she jumped up excitedly. <em>"Yes! </em>Thank you, Nightheart!"</p><p>
  
</p><p>She'd spent hours crying and waiting for her family to emerge as she watched her home crumple to ash from a distance.</p><p>Because it was only a matter of time until the house collapsed, she'd made her way off the roof and near the entrance to the woods.</p><p>Nobody came, save a truck that was far too loud for her little ears and a crowd of twolegs dressed in thick vests and helmets.</p><p>But even they were gone.</p><p>So she did the only thing she knew how.</p><p>She followed the pawsteps away from her home...</p><p>...and into the woods.</p><p>At least, until she hit the same break in the forest as she had in her dreams.</p><p>Tears streamed down her face as she emerged in the same twolegplace she'd seen before.</p><p>As long as Nightheart left the pawprints there, Bolt knew she would be safe.</p><p>She continued and let a small smile emerge on her face as she cried. Maybe it would be fun following Nightheart's print trail.</p><p>Maybe all wasn't lost!</p><p>She hoped it wasn't until she heard a voice echo from behind a dumpster.</p><p>
  <em>    "Hey, you!"</em>
</p><p>Bolt's head swiveled at the sound, turning to see a dark figure about her sized perched above the trash.</p><p>"Yeah, you. Nice collar you got there." The cat leapt from the garbage and near Bolt's feet. He was a tom near her age, dark brown with piercing green eyes. "I'm afraid it's mine, now, though." His maw turned up into a grin. "Boss says my initiation is finished as soon as I get my paws on one. Looks like today is my lucky day."</p><p>Arching back and puffing up to make herself look bigger, Bolt hissed at the other cat. Her collar was the only reminder of her family she had left.</p><p>Could she still smell, its scent would have been redolent of home. But the soot overpowered her nose.</p><p>She wasn't going to lie down and give it up.</p><p>"Fine. Have it your way," he replied, his voice harsh and gritty as a growl rose in his throat. "My name's Fable, by the way." He grinned so large and menacingly she could see every one of his teeth. "Remember that when you wonder about the cat who <em>kicked your little ass!"</em></p><p>Fable lunged at her and she dodged just in time, warping around him to deliver a poised strike to his ear.</p><p>"Oh," he laughed softly as blood trickled down his face. "A challenge. I <em>like</em> this."</p><p>Then, he stepped hard on Bolt's tail and she shrieked.</p><p>His chuckle grew in volume. "You'd better give up before I shred you."</p><p>Bolt refused to quit. She pounced, lunging at Fable, and he met her halfway to tackle her.</p><p>Triumphantly, he stepped on her ear.</p><p>She whimpered.</p><p><em>   "Aw, </em>is the little baby <em>scared?" </em>Fable mocked her, sending a strong paw forward to swipe at her body.</p><p>The blow left a nasty gash up Bolt's shoulder that would certainly scar.</p><p>"I'll take <em>this," </em>he said and pulled the red collar over her head.</p><p>Without it, Bolt felt naked.</p><p>"And goodbye."</p><p>With that, he leapt away, leaving her bleeding on the ground.</p><p>
  
</p><p>  It took Bolt hours to get up.</p><p>   When she did, there was ringing in her ears and she couldn't smell a thing.</p><p>   And her collar was gone.</p><p>   She had to keep following Nightheart's trail. If she wanted to survive—if she wanted to live with the Warriors—she couldn't stop.</p><p>   So she picked herself up and crossed to the other side of the forest, dragging her wounded body the rest of the way. The entire way there, she couldn't smell other cats. She couldn't smell anything at all, in fact.   </p><p>   But she turned when she heard something rustle in the bushes. A pale flash darted past her, then she saw nothing at all.</p><p>   What was going on?</p><p>   Was this another animal that wanted to hurt her?</p><p>   Cowering, Bolt yelled as loud as she could, "Go away!"</p><p>  But the figure only came closer until she could make out the shape of another cat. It didn't look like Nightheart. Instead, it was pale and had the most piercing yellow eyes she'd ever seen.</p><p>   It was bigger than she was.</p><p>   Older.</p><p>   It was terrifying.</p><p>   "What are you doing on ShadowClan territory?" the tom asked her, whiskers twitching curiously.</p><p>   His approach was quite different from Fable's.</p><p>   Bolt shrugged, letting the stress in her shoulders fall away.</p><p>   "ShadowClan..." she thought aloud, "That's where Nightheart said he's from?"</p><p>  <em> I made it!</em> she thought triumphantly, <em>I really made it!</em></p><p>   "How do you know Nightheart?" the tom asked, his voice more aggressive than it'd been before.</p><p>  <em> "Oh, I...um..."</em> Bolt didn't know what to say. Suddenly, this strange cat seemed poised to attack her, and she was in no position to fight. "I see him in dreams sometimes. He comes to me."</p><p>    "Well, it wouldn't be the first time something like that happened," the tom replied, "And if you know Nightheart, he'll want to speak with you." He cocked his head curiously. "I'm Whitepaw, Nightheart's Apprentice. It's nice to meet you."</p><p>   "I'm Bolt," she said softly and followed Whitepaw to ShadowClan's camp. "I've heard stories about Clan cats eating twoleg pets. Is that true? Are you going to eat me?"</p><p>   "So, you're a kittypet," said Whitepaw, "That explains the smell. But, no, none of us are going to eat you." The slightest chuckle accompanied his statement. "And this..." Whitepaw stopped at the edge of a clearing where cats ate, played, trained, shared tongues, and sunbathed. Bolt had never seen so many cats before. She saw families just like the one she'd lost; she saw eager Apprentices meeting up with their mentors. She saw cats with herbs in their mouths and cats carrying fresh prey.</p><p>    It was everything at once in a brand new world.</p><p>    It was incredible.</p><p>    <em>"...This</em> is ShadowClan."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The following are copyright notices:</p><p>1) The Warriors Universe is by Erin Hunter and all Original Characters I have created, while they are from the Erins' universe, are my intellectual property. I do not claim Warriors as my own work but I do claim my characters. Please do not steal either.</p><p>2) All art from this tale is by MothMori and Araven92 on DeviantArt. Do not use their art shown here at all, as it is only for their and my use.</p><p>Thank you.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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